shellxShellX vs Termius: which one for a terminal on your phone?
Both tools put a terminal on your phone, but they start from opposite ends. Termius is an SSH client: your phone connects to servers. ShellX is a terminal app for your computer that you can open from your phone: you see the sessions already running on your Mac or PC. Which one fits depends on where your work actually runs.
The short answer
- Pick Termius if you mostly connect from your phone directly to servers that are reachable over SSH (public VPS, machines on a VPN), and you want a polished SSH client with saved hosts, keys and SFTP on every device.
- Pick ShellX if your work runs on your own computer (builds, scripts, AI coding agents, SSH and tmux sessions you opened there) and you want to follow and control it from your phone without opening ports or setting up a VPN, with push notifications.
- Many people use both: an SSH client for quick server access, ShellX for the sessions on their computer.
How each one works
Termius is an SSH client available on mobile and desktop. It connects from the device you are holding to an SSH server, supports protocols such as SSH, Mosh and Telnet, file transfer over SFTP, port forwarding and snippets, and can sync your hosts and keys between devices through an account. It offers free and paid plans; check its site for what each includes.
Because it is a client, the server must be reachable from your phone: a public IP with port 22 open, port forwarding on a router, or a VPN.
ShellX has two parts: a terminal app on your Mac or PC, and an app on your phone. Both dial out to the ShellX relay, and the phone opens the same sessions that are on the computer: every tab and pane, including SSH workspaces and tmux sessions you opened from the computer. Content is end-to-end encrypted with the Noise protocol, so the relay cannot read it.
Side by side
| ShellX | Termius | |
|---|---|---|
| What you open on the phone | The sessions running on your Mac or PC | A new SSH session to a server |
| Needs the target reachable from outside | No: both devices dial out | Yes: public IP, port forwarding or VPN |
| Works behind NAT / CGNAT without setup | Yes | Only with a VPN or a reachable jump host |
| SSH server on your own computer | Not needed | Needed to reach your computer |
| Continue the exact window an agent is running in | Yes | Only if it runs inside tmux/screen you attach to |
| Push notification when a command finishes or a program asks | Yes (shell hooks, OSC 9 / 777 / 99, shellx notify) |
Not its focus |
| Desktop platforms | macOS, Windows | Mobile and desktop |
| SFTP / file transfer | No | Yes |
| Price | Currently free | Free and paid plans |
When ShellX is the better fit
- AI coding agents. Claude Code or Codex runs in your terminal for minutes and stops to ask questions. ShellX shows you that exact session on your phone and pushes a notification when it needs you. See Claude Code from your phone.
- Your home or office computer, with no public IP and no wish to open ports. See remote terminal without a VPN.
- Long jobs. Builds, migrations, data imports: start them at your desk, watch them on the phone, get pinged when they end.
When Termius is the better fit
- You manage many servers and want to reach them directly from the phone, without a computer in between.
- You need SFTP or file transfer on the phone.
- You want a Linux desktop client as well.
Using both
They do not conflict. Keep your SSH client for direct server access, and run ShellX on your computer so the work that lives there, including the SSH sessions you open from it, is one tap away on your phone.
Termius is a trademark of its owner. This comparison is based on publicly available information as of the date above; check each product’s website for current features.